Large racing sail boats are generally equipped with pedestal driven winches containing one or more pedestal input sections and one or more winch drum output sections. The winch drum section contains a drum around which a sheet to be pulled is wound and a drive train, usually multispeed, for turning the drum. The pedestal section contains a support frame, a crank shaft rotatably mounted on the frame, crank arms and handles for rotating the crank, and a drive train connectable to the drive train of the winch drum section. The drive trains of the pedestal and drum sections are usually shifted in gear ratio by reversal of the direction of rotation of the pedestal crank shaft. Typically, two pedestal sections are provided with drive connections to drive either or both of two winch drum sections where the winch drum sections are used for pulling headsail sheets.
When the winch is used on a tack, for instance, the combined gear ratios of the pedestal and drum sections are usually started in the highest speed, lowest power, gear ratio, and the winch assembly is shifted through successively higher power, lower speed, gear ratios as the tension on the headsail sheet increases. After the winch is used for resetting a headsail in a tack, the winch is used to trim the sail by making fine adjustments in the position of the headsail sheet.
The crewman who performs the task of sail trimming is often different from the crewman who grinds the winch during tacking, and there are often different winch requirements for the grinder and the trimmer even where the two jobs are performed by the same crewman. Thus, the grinder's job is to pull in the headsail sheet as fast as possible, whereas the trimmer isn't as interested in speed as he is in ease and precision of operation. Additionally, the grinder often has the help of another grinder where two pedestal units are connected together to drive a single winch drum, and the trimmer usually works alone.